After The End
by georgethegreen
Summary: Ron disappeared four years ago and no one knew why but now he’s back. Hermione has moved on but Ron is still in love with her and isn’t willing to let her go without a fight.
1. Prologue

1 After The End  
  
By georgethegreen  
  
  
  
1 Prologue  
  
  
  
It was surprisingly cold. That was the first thing that Harry noticed as he entered the dark damp room. He was far underground now, but even the tunnels that led to this place weren't as cold as the room that he now found himself in. It almost felt like the stones that made up the floor and walls had been enchanted to rob the air of all warmth.  
  
Harry tried to look around, but his eyes had not yet adjusted to the dark. Under normal conditions he would have used his wand to cast some light but these were not normal circumstances. He didn't know how this room may be monitored and didn't want to take any unnecessary chances that could lead to him being discovered. He knew that if someone found him he might not make it out alive.  
  
After a few moments, Harry was able to make out the vague details of the room and started moving forward, looking left and right as he went along. As he searched the floor and walls he kept his senses on high alert trying to detect any noises or movement. He was about to give up and make his way back to the surface when he noticed a small square of space along one wall that seemed to be darker than the rest. He silently made his way toward it and knelt down to get a better look. It was a gap about two feet by two feet and as he strained his eyes, he realized that there was something inside.  
  
Harry quickly debated with himself about how stupid it would be to reach in there before deciding to do just that. He had to know. If there was any chance at all that it was what he was looking for he had to try.  
  
Before he could change his mind Harry reached in and grabbed what felt like a pair of legs. He gently pulled until he had gotten the entire body out of the opening and then made his way up to where he knew the person's head must be.  
  
Harry looked down into the dirt-covered face. The person had been badly beaten, making the facial features unrecognizable, but there was no mistaking that hair. The man's red hair was matted and covered in dirt, but was still identifiable.  
  
"Ron", Harry whispered too him urgently. "Ron, can you hear me?"  
  
Slowly Ron's eyes opened in a way that looked incredibly painful and he made a feeble attempt to focus on Harry. Then he made a weak noise before croaking out, "My-knee". Harry quickly got him on his feet and supported him as he half dragged, half carried Ron into the tunnels and up toward the surface.  
  
Together Harry and Ron stumbled from the catacombs and onto the floor of the South American jungle where Harry had finally been able to find his long lost friend. After a few seconds Harry took something from his pocket that look similar to a muggle pager and after clasping Ron's body to his own Harry pushed a button and they disappeared.  
  
  
  
  
  
TBC  
  
  
  
A/N Okay, I know that this was really short and has not R/H at all, but it's where the story begins. I'll be posting the first real chapter as soon as I have it finished.  
  
Next Time:  
  
Ron and Hermione see each other for the first time in four years  
  
Fred and George make things explode  
  
We meet Hermione's current boyfriend  
  
One of Percy's children gives new meaning to the term 'ankle-biter'  
  
And Hermione has her own bedroom at the Burrow? 


	2. Back From The Dead

1 After the End  
  
By georgethegreen  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my own ideas, although it's possible that I may not own those either. I'm a poor college student who has negative money so suing me would really be useless unless you just want to see me squirm. I think that just about covers everything I want to say. Oh wait! I remembered something – Where's my pineapple! I'm going to my room!  
  
  
  
2 Back From the Dead  
  
  
  
Harry and Ron were on their way back to England. After several days Harry had been able to get tickets on a muggle plane for himself and Ron. It wasn't the most direct path or the fastest type of transport, but traveling the muggle way would be safer; no one would be looking for them in the muggle world.  
  
Now they were almost finished with their trip and Harry was grateful that there was only one more foreseeable challenge to face. According to the rules, Ron had to be debriefed by the ministry before he could go anywhere, but that could take days in Ron's case. So Harry had decided that he wasn't going to take Ron to the ministry until after he had taken him someplace else – The Burrow.  
  
Ron's family had all taken his disappearance very hard and they deserved to see him again as soon as possible. He had been gone for four years and the family still didn't know all of the details about what he had been doing when he vanished. All information about Ron's case was highly classified, but Harry had been his partner and would sometimes accidentally let things slip.  
  
Tonight was the perfect time to bring Ron home to his family. It was the night of this month's family dinner and everyone would be there and could welcome their lost loved one home. Harry was hoping that it would be good for Ron – he hadn't spoken a single word since being rescued and Harry was worried. Harry tried to tell Ron about things that had happened since he had been gone, but was never completely sure if Ron was paying attention to what he was saying.  
  
Harry sat back then and started to formulate a plan to slip past the people who would meet them at the airport to take Ron away. Harry was good at his job and as an auror he had had to get out of sticky situations more than one. Evading a couple of people who would probably be off their guard shouldn't be too hard.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Hermione Granger apparated into the living room of the Burrow with a popping noise and was immediately stuck with the sounds, sights, and smells of the home that she had come to know so well over the years. There were redheaded adults and children running around in a state of cheerfulness here that she had never been able to find anywhere else. She breathed in deeply and could smell the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen where Molly had probably been working for several hours.  
  
From a corner of the room two identical heads looked up at her and chorused, "Hullo 'Mione", right before a small explosion caused them to look back at what they had been working on.  
  
"Hello Fred, George", greeted Hermione as she wandered over to look at what appeared to be a badly scorched party hat. "So, what new product are you working on now?" she asked, not quite sure that she really wanted to know the answer.  
  
"Well", said Fred, "It's supposed to be a party hat that shoots off sparks whenever someone says 'Happy Birthday'…"  
  
"…But", continued George, "Right now it seems to go off whenever anyone says a word beginning with 'H' and tends to explode rather than give off sparks".  
  
"Let's hope that you get it worked out before you burn something too badly", commented Hermione before heading away from the table while wishing them luck.  
  
Hermione made her way into the kitchen to see Mrs. Weasley stirring something on the stove. As she walked over to the older woman, Mrs. Weasley turned around and brightly smiled at her.  
  
"Hermione. I was wondering when you would get here. Did you bring Nathan with you?"  
  
"He was working a little later than normal so he's going to apparate from work. He should be here soon though", said Hermione smiling at the thought of her boyfriend of sixteen months. "Is there anything that I can do to help you with dinner?"  
  
"Hmmm…everything is almost done but I suppose you could take the lemonade out for everyone while I finish up in here", Mrs. Weasley replied while gesturing toward the kitchen table where a pitcher of lemonade sat.  
  
Hermione retrieved the pitcher and carried it with her to the other side of the kitchen. After opening the door to the backyard she stepped out of the house, but before she knew what was happening she was soaked through and through. Hermione let out a surprised yelp before looking up and seeing the bucket that had dumped a load of water on her head.  
  
Hearing Hermione cry out, Mrs. Weasley hurried to the doorway to see what had happened. What she saw was a very wet Hermione still grasping the lemonade pitcher and glaring up at a now empty bucket that had been rigged up over the door.  
  
"Goodness," exclaimed Mrs. Weasley, "here, let me get you dried up."  
  
Taking out her wand, Mrs. Weasley muttered a drying spell that should have gotten rid of the water within an instant, but it didn't seem to work. She tried again, but it still didn't work.  
  
Agitated Mrs. Weasley turned her head toward the living room and yelled, "Fred! George! Get in here right now!"  
  
A moment later both men were standing in the kitchen. Looking at Hermione's drenched form their faces broke out into identical expressions of glee only to be quickly replaced by practiced looks of remorse when they saw their mother's dark frown.  
  
"What is going on here", Mrs. Weasley asked of her sons as she motioned to Hermione.  
  
"Well mum", started Fred, "It was just a test really."  
  
"A test for what? Why can't I dry her up?" questioned Mrs. Weasley sternly.  
  
This time George took the lead by replying, "You see, it's this new potion that you add to water that prevents drying spells from working", turning toward Hermione he continued saying, " I'm afraid you're cloths and hair aren't going to be dry for several hours 'Mione. We're really sorry, we thought that we'd be able to get Percy, I mean he's always coming and going so much, ordering people around and what not, we just assumed that he'd be the one to trip it".  
  
"Well, this has been quite enough excitement for tonight", Mrs. Weasley warned, "I was hoping that we'd be able to have a nice quiet dinner for once. I want you two to go outside and help set up the tables." Then with a smile Mrs. Weasley turned to Hermione saying, "Dear, why don't you go up to your room and change into some dry clothes before Nathan gets here".  
  
As Fred and George trudged outside Mrs. Weasley turned back to the stove and Hermione started heading for the stairs. She made her way up until she came to the door that still said "Ronald's Room" and made her way inside. The walls were still the same shade of vibrant orange that they had been when she had first seen them all those years ago while still attending Hogwarts and the Chudley Cannon's posters still littered the walls. The only noticeable changes from that time were the additional books on the shelves and the much more organized appearance of everything in general. Hermione had been the instigator of both changes.  
  
After Ron had disappeared Hermione had been devastated; Harry and the Weasley's had been afraid to leave her alone in her flat but it was the only home she had since her parents had been killed by death eaters. In the end everyone had agreed that the best thing to do was to bring Hermione to stay at the Burrow until they were sure that she was better.  
  
She had originally been put in Bill's old room, but kept wandering into Ron's and so eventually she was moved there. Ron's old room seemed to be a comfort to Hermione while she grieved. During that time Hermione truly became a part of the Weasley family and even after she moved out to live on her own again she was viewed as a member of the household. As such she had left some of her books and a few changes of clothes in what was now considered her room so that she would have them on nights when she decided to stay at the Burrow instead of going back to her flat.  
  
As Hermione made her way across the room she stripped off her saturated blouse and laid it over the back of the desk chair. She then peeled her skirt off and hung in up to dry on a hanger from the closet. Looking through the contents of the closet she picked out a thin blue sweater and a pair of khaki pants to put on.  
  
After changing Hermione bounded down the stairs to the bathroom where she found a towel that she used to try to dry her hair a bit. While she wasn't able to get it totally dry Hermione was able to soak up enough of the remaining water to keep her hair from dripping.  
  
As she made her way down the rest of the stairs to the living room Hermione heard a knock on the door. Calling out that she would get it she quickly flung it open to reveal Nathan. Before she knew what was happening, Hermione was wrapped up in a big hug. When Nathan released her she grinned at him and led him into the house.  
  
"So, how was your day? Are you really tired", Hermione asked as she and Nathan sat on the couch.  
  
"Well", my day was busy and I am a little tired but I should still be able to cope with half a dozen over protective older brothers", he said, referring to the older Weasley children and Harry, who all seemed to view her as a younger sister when it came to men.  
  
"Oh come on, they aren't that bad! You should have seen them when Ginny started dating! Especially Harry and … Ron." Hermione said the last in an almost whisper but before Nathan could comment on it she continued speaking. "Anyway, you won't have to worry about Harry tonight, he's been working on some big case and he isn't scheduled to be back for a few weeks yet. Ginny's been going crazy without him".  
  
"Speaking of Ginny…" whispered Nathan while motioning behind Hermione.  
  
Turning around Hermione saw Ginny coming toward them with a bright smile on her face. "Mom says that the food is pretty much ready and we should all head out back so that dinner can get started."  
  
With that Hermione and Nathan stood up and followed Ginny outside. The sight of the family seated at a long picnic table all talking and laughing greeted them. Colorful streamers had been conjured high above everyone's heads and torches created a perimeter around the garden. After the three sat down the meal began with everyone passing and serving food.  
  
Hermione loved these nights, when she could be with her whole surrogate family. On these nights she could almost forget about all of the bad things that had happened in her life. The jokes, stories and squeals of laughter from the children created a sense of happiness that seemed to seep into her very soul.  
  
Dinner passed without incident bar the moment when Percy's three-year-old daughter Fiona snuck under the table and bit him on the ankle; apparently he had been too caught up discussing some ministry affairs to notice her trying to get his attention any other way. After Percy spent a few minutes of quality time with his daughter all of the children were excused from the table to go and find some frozen treats in the kitchen for dessert.  
  
When the adults were finally alone in the garden Mrs. Weasley presented a beautiful devil's food cake for the adults. Conversations began to pick up again in the much calmer atmosphere and Hermione listened as Nathan began debating wizard/muggle relations with Mr. Weasley and Percy.  
  
Then, without warning, Ginny sprung up from her seat with a look of delight on her face. She started running toward the house yelling, "Harry!" on the way before throwing her arms around the somewhat stunned man's neck and embracing him in a death grip. Then she looked past her husband and all of the blood drained from her face.  
  
By this time most of the table had turned around to greet Harry, but none of them could see the person directly behind him. As Hermione turned around with a smile on her face she just barely registered Ginny muttering "Oh my God!" before Harry stepped out of the way to reveal a person that she though she would never see again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
5 minutes earlier  
  
Harry and Ron had been able to safely get away from the muggle airport and had just been dropped off in front of the Burrow by the Knight Bus. Ron was doing much better and had actually made a few comments as he and Harry had traveled to his childhood home.  
  
Now that they were standing in front of the Burrow Ron was hit by a duel feeling of familiarity and …well…a sense of the passage of time. It had been a little over four years since he had last been here. In fact, the last time that he remembered seeing his family at the Burrow had been on his 20th birthday. And now after all this time here it was standing before him once again.  
  
Before Ron was able to get too caught up in his thoughts and memories Harry tugged on his arm and made his way to the front door. Without bothering to knock he opened it and ducked inside. Ron followed him into the living room and then the kitchen to be met with the sight of over half a dozen little red-haired children.  
  
The children quickly noticed the two adults and all began to chorus "Uncle Harry!" while rushing up to the man they knew so well and hugging him. After many hugs Harry stepped back from the children and glanced at Ron who had a look of awe on his face as he looked at his nephews and nieces. Before disappearing Ron had had two nephews and one niece but as he looked around the room he counted nine little heads.  
  
All of the children wanted to know whom Harry had brought with him as well as to hear stories from his "latest adventure", but Harry was able to waylay them by promising to tell them everything later. With that done Harry made his way to the back door before turning to face Ron and ask, "Ready?"  
  
With a quick nod of his head Ron quickly walked to the other side of the room so that he was directly behind Harry and held his breathe as he followed Harry out the door into the garden.  
  
They had barely set foot outside when Ron recognized the voice of his sister calling Harry's name. As he looked over Harry's shoulder he noticed how much she had grown and felt a pang of regret for not having been able to watch her become the woman that she was now. Then she looked right at him and all the color drained from her face.  
  
Ron heard Ginny mutter, "Oh my God!" right before Harry stepped aside to give him an unobstructed view of his family. And by the looks on their faces it seemed that they also had an unobstructed view of him.  
  
Mouths were hanging open all around the table and Ron could see tears in his mother's eyes. But then he saw Hermione and everything else seemed to drift into the background. He had thought of her every day since he had last seen her and now she was in front of him again. Ron felt his own eyes begin to water and without thinking he ran over to where Hermione had stood up and wrapped her in his arms.  
  
Ron could feel Hermione shaking slightly in his arms as she grasped him and hugged him back with everything that she had. Then he pulled back slightly so that he could see her face. It was as beautiful as he remembered it – maybe more beautiful. Looking her in the eyes his whispered, "I love you 'Mione" before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers in a tender kiss.  
  
  
  
TBC  
  
  
  
A/N okay, I already have the next chapter almost completely planned out so hopefully it won't take too long to write. I wish that this could have been up sooner, but I'm sure that you all know about the problem with Fanfiction.net so there was nothing I could do. Also, this is my first fan fiction ever (although I've loved to read it for years) and I have to say that after writing this chapter I have even more respect for other authors.  
  
Next Time:  
  
Hermione faints  
  
Ron gets punched in the face  
  
Nathan gets punched in the face  
  
Harry gets hit on the arm  
  
Ron and Nathan are both seeing green  
  
Harry has a little chat with Nathan 


	3. Punches and Tears

1 After the End  
  
By georgethegreen  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I promise to return all characters that don't belong to me unharmed (for the most part).  
  
  
  
Last Time:  
  
Ron could feel Hermione shaking slightly in his arms as she grasped him and hugged him back with everything that she had. Then he pulled back slightly so that he could see her face. It was as beautiful as he remembered it – maybe more beautiful. Looking her in the eyes his whispered, "I love you 'Mione" before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers in a tender kiss.  
  
  
  
3 Punches and Tears  
  
  
  
After several delicious moments that seemed to last a lifetime, Ron pulled his head away from Hermione's and once again gazed into her eyes. He stayed that way, not moving and not speaking, trying to tell her how much he loved her through their eye contact since he suddenly found that he could no longer get any words out.  
  
Hermione stared back at Ron with a look of hope, confusion, and shock in her eyes. It only lasted for a moment though before Hermione fainted. Luckily Ron hadn't released his hold on her and so instead of falling, Hermione just became a dead weight in his arms.  
  
Ron slowly and gently lowered Hermione to the ground before cupping her cheek in his hand and forcefully saying, "'Mione! Hermione, wake up!"  
  
Hermione could hear someone calling her name and struggled to escape the fog that had filled her mind. Slowly she was able to open her eyes and after a moment she started to focus on someone directly in front of her…someone with red hair, blue eyes, and a face that she hadn't ever thought she would see again. Upon recognizing the individual hovering above her for the second time, she briefly felt as though she might pass out again. But before she drifted off, she glanced past Ron's shoulder to see the worried and shocked faces of the entire Weasley family, and the very upset face of Nathan.  
  
Nathan at this point was understandably troubled. He had just witnessed an unknown man approach his girlfriend before kissing her with no warning what so ever. Well, it did sound like he had mumbled something, but why should that count? The only clue to his identity was his red hair. It seemed logical to assume that he was related to the Weasley's – maybe a cousin or something.  
  
When Hermione had fainted, Nathan had gone from mad to worried, but quickly changed back to the former when she regained consciousness. Now that she was okay, Nathan decided it was time to deal with this guy - who was still hovering over her like he had a right to be there.  
  
"Hey!" Nathan shouted out in a raised and menacing voice.  
  
Quickly, Ron stood up and turned around, but before he could figure out who had called out a fist collided with the side of his face. The solid blow to his cheekbone forced Ron off balance and he fell with a great thud onto the ground close to Hermione.  
  
Hermione watched in stunned horror as Nathan struck Ron causing the slightly taller man to collapse near her feet. "Ron!" Hermione called out immediately.  
  
At that moment, Nathan realized his mistake, but he didn't have enough time to try and prevent what happened next. With a speed that Nathan had never seen her use before, Hermione got to her feet and turned on him. Then all he could feel was an intense pain and a warm wetness. Hermione had punched him squarely in the nose – causing it to bleed profusely. Then she turned back to Ron who was now sitting up and cradling the left side of his face.  
  
"Oh Ron…" Hermione whispered as she placed her hand gently over his. Ron raised his eyes to hers and gazed into them once more.  
  
All at once the reality of the situation came crashing down on Hermione and she found that she was having trouble making sense of everything. Without saying anything more, she rose from where she had knelt in front of Ron and ran inside the house.  
  
Ron looked up at the faces of his family who all seemed to be torn between worrying about him and worrying about Hermione. Finally he locked his eyes on Ginny who seemed to be having the most trouble, and obviously wanted to go after Hermione. When she turned back at him again he looked her straight in the eyes before motioning toward the door with his head and saying, "Go after her". That was all Ginny needed to hear, she took off after Hermione without a backward glance.  
  
Nathan looked as if he too wanted to go after Hermione, but after Ginny had made her way inside Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, and Percy all went to stand in front of the door, blocking it off effectively. It seemed that Nathan was staying right where he was.  
  
Now that Hermione was gone, everyone seemed to remember what had triggered this disturbance in the first place. All eyes fell on Ron once again with a few of them glancing back at Harry every once and a while. Finally, Mrs. Weasley spoke up in a voice that was much more composed than she felt saying, "What's going on here?"  
  
"Uhmmm…" muttered Ron, "Well, the short version goes something like this. I was working, tracking and watching some very bad wizards, and I got caught. I was imprisoned and interrogated, but I wouldn't give them any of the information that they wanted so they kept me and tried to force me to tell what I knew many times over the course of several years. I had almost given up hope of ever being found when, one day, I woke up to find my best friend standing over me." Ron had said this last part while looking at Harry, appreciation showing clearly on his face.  
  
Picking up the story from his point of view, Harry continued by saying, "After finding Ron, I took him to the American Ministry of Magic, seeing as it was the most secure one that we could get to quickly. We then took a muggle plane back here, to avoid detection. Once back in the country we evaded the Ministry agents who were to take Ron in for debriefing and hailed the Knight Bus, which brought us here."  
  
Harry could see the questions in everyone's eyes, but didn't add anything else, not knowing what else he should say. It was Bill who finally voiced what it seemed the whole Weasley family really wanted to know most. "Harry, why didn't you tell us about this…that you were personally looking for Ron? Why didn't you let us know?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Honestly, I didn't tell you for so many reasons. I didn't want to give you false hope, I didn't want to you have to suffer each time a lead didn't pan out, and I didn't know for sure that I'd ever find him. I never gave up hope, but it was hard. And I didn't want you all, especially Ginny, to worry about me when I would go off looking for him. I've been all over the world searching for the past four years and I knew that every time I left everyone would wonder if I would be coming home if you knew where I was going and what I was doing. I also wasn't sure if any of you would let me go. I figured that you might try to keep me from going after Ron in an attempt to keep me from disappearing too." With a sigh and an apologetic look Harry pleaded with them, "Please forgive me. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, but I had to do it. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself knowing that Ron could still be out there and that I might be able to bring him back."  
  
This time it was Mr. Weasley that spoke up. "Oh Harry," he said with fatherly affection, "How could we not forgive you? You've made our family complete again." With that said, he walked over to his youngest son and put his arms around him. "We missed you so much Ron, we all missed you so much" he said as a tear rolled down his cheek.  
  
All at once, Mrs. Weasley, her sons, and their wives went to crowd around Ron, giving him hugs and tearful greetings. Harry, in the mean time, picked up a napkin from the table and headed over to Nathan. Handing him the cloth Harry gave him a weak smile and said in a low voice, "Sorry about all of this".  
  
Nathan began wiping away the blood that was still on his face as he looked up at Harry and asked, "Why should you be sorry?"  
  
"I'm sorry because this has got to come as a big shock to you. Do you want to go somewhere talk about it for a bit?" Harry asked sincerely.  
  
With a brief nod of his head, Nathan indicated that he would, and then two men headed toward the front of the house to sit on the front porch swing. They sat there for several moments in silence, neither knowing quite what to say before Nathan finally looked at Harry and asked in a quiet voice, "I'm going to loose her, aren't I?"  
  
Harry felt horrible about what this must be doing to Nathan. Nathan was a nice guy and he had been dating Hermione for over a year. He had a strong suspicion that Nathan loved her and now he had gone and done something that could very easily put an end to his relationship with Hermione.  
  
Harry wanted to reassure Nathan that everything would be all right, but he didn't know that for a fact and found that he couldn't give Nathan false hope. "I honestly don't know. Hermione cares for you a lot…" Harry trailed off not knowing what else he could say.  
  
"But she cares for Ron more." Nathan finished for him in a disheartened tone.  
  
"I can't say that she cares for him more because I haven't talked to her about it really, but I do know that Ron's been a big part of her life for a long time. She's been best friends with him since she was eleven and she's been in love with him since she was sixteen. Well, at least she was in love with him – as I've said, I haven't talked to her about it."  
  
"Does he still love her?" Nathan hadn't really wanted to ask, but he had to know.  
  
"Yes." Harry answered, "He's always loved her and I think that he always will."  
  
"He's going to fight for her, isn't he?"  
  
"Yes." Harry answered again. "I don't think that he could stop himself even if he wanted to."  
  
"Well, I love her too, and I can't just walk away from this." Nathan's voice was now filled with determination.  
  
"I understand." Was Harry's only reply.  
  
"Listen, Harry, thank you for this. I know that Ron's your best friend and that you're going to be supporting him, but thank you for talking to me. I'm the odd man out here, I mean, this is his family and I'm sure that they wouldn't mind seeing him back with Hermione. In fact, that would probably make everything complete."  
  
"Nathan, I want you to know that everyone in this family likes you. You've been wonderful to Hermione and no one's going to forget that. I'd be lying if I said that they wouldn't be thrilled if Ron and Hermione got back together, they always felt that those two would be together forever, but it's Hermione's choice. I know that no matter who Hermione chooses, they'll support her and her decision."  
  
"Thanks Harry"  
  
"Your Welcome. Is there anything else that you'd like to talk about?"  
  
"No. In fact, I'd kind of like some time to think, if you don't mind."  
  
"Of course not. I think I'm going to go see how everyone else is doing."  
  
With that, Harry left Nathan alone to his thoughts and proceeded to wander around to the back of the house again. Harry walked up to everyone and Ron caught his eye. Looking at his family, Ron quietly addressed them.  
  
" I think that I need to go and talk to Harry for a little while if that's okay?"  
  
"Of course it is honey," said Mrs. Weasley and as he made to go she added once again, "It's so good to have you home."  
  
Giving his mother a quick hug, Ron then followed Harry into the house. Harry made his way to the living room and took a seat on the couch. Ron looked at him and asked, "Harry, could we maybe talk in my room instead?"  
  
With a sheepish look Harry answered, "Actually, I think that Hermione and Ginny are probably in there."  
  
"Oh." Ron replied and he moved to sit next to Harry. Once he was settled, Ron asked, "Why are they there? I mean, why not Ginny's room?"  
  
Harry looked at his best friend, not knowing exactly where to start. "Well it's a bit of a long story really."  
  
"I've got all night." Ron retorted.  
  
"Okay then. After you disappeared, Hermione was a wreck. None of us wanted to leave her alone and so finally we were able to convince her to come and stay at the Burrow. Your mum set up Bill's old room for her because it was the furthest away from your old room – she figured that being close to your room would be hard for her. For the first three days she was here she would stay in Bill's room without coming out, but every morning your mum would go to look for her and would find her sleeping in your bed. At first your mum would take her back to Bill's room, but then she gave up and moved all of Hermione's things to your room."  
  
At this point Harry broke off for a minute to look at Ron before continuing. "So Hermione stayed in your room and for the first month she wouldn't come out except to use the toilet. We were all really worried about her, but at least at the Burrow she had people who loved her and could take care of her. After the first month it was decided that she probably wasn't going to be well enough to go back to her flat anytime soon, so we terminated her lease and moved her things out completely."  
  
"Is she still living here?" Ron interrupted to ask.  
  
"No, she's not, but she did live here for a long time. As I said, after about a month she started coming out of, what was then considered to be, her room. She would eat meals in the kitchen, but didn't like to be around too many people. Then, after another five months or so, she began to spend her days outside her room. She would help your mum around the house and read on the front porch swing. Oh, and the biggest improvement of all was that she was talking to us again, although she refused to talk about anything that had to do with you. We got her into counseling and she continuously got better until she decided to move out on her own again. That was about a year and a half ago."  
  
Ron digested all of this information quickly before asking, "That guy, the one who punched me, was that her boyfriend?"  
  
"Yeah, his name is Nathan."  
  
"How long has Hermione been seeing him?" Ron asked, looking like he didn't really want to know.  
  
"They've been dating for about a year now." Harry answered quietly.  
  
"Does she love him?"  
  
Harry hated seeing the tortured look on Ron's face, and knew that his answer wouldn't completely wipe it away, but he had to be honest. "I don't know."  
  
Before Ron could ask any more questions, the front door opened to reveal Nathan. With an apologetic look, Nathan made his way forward, explaining his presence. "I think I put my wand down on the coffee table."  
  
Sure enough, there it was. Nathan reached out to take it then turned around to leave, but before he could he heard a voice calling him.  
  
"Nathan." Ron said in an even voice.  
  
"Yeah?" Nathan replied, turning back toward the two men who were now standing by the couch.  
  
"I thought that I should let you know that I'm going to be as much a part of Hermione life as she'll let me be." Ron said in a controlled voice.  
  
Nathan wanted to just ignore him, to turn around and walk away, but something inside of him wouldn't let him. Instead he asked in an angry voice, "What gives you the right to disrupt her life like that? What gives you the right to interfere with what we have? I'm the one who's been there for her, laughing with her, and comforting her, making love to her, and just being there for her for the past year!"  
  
Ron hadn't wanted to get into a fight, but Nathan's words stung and he felt a wave of jealousy that this man obviously meant so much to Hermione. Without thinking, Ron countered by saying, "Well, if I could have been here I would have! I though about her every day that I was gone! She was what kept me going! And I was the one who was there for her for nine years! I was the one who shared everything with her! Everything! I was her first kiss, her first boyfriend, her first lover, her first love!"  
  
Nathan knew that all of what Ron had said was true and he hated it. He wanted to stalk over to Ron and punch him again, but Harry was standing by looking wary and surely he would step in if things turned to ugly. So instead he just gave Ron an angry stare and said, "I'm not giving her up!" before walking out the door and slamming it behind him.  
  
Harry and Ron just exchanged glances before the rest of the family (including the children who had been playing upstairs) wandered into the living room. Soon everything was being explained and no one noticed that Ginny and Hermione hadn't come to see what all the fuss was about.  
  
Ginny and Hermione were still up in Ron's/Hermione's room and had finished talking only moments before hearing the slamming door. Hermione had gone to the window to see Nathan stalking away from the house before aparating. Ginny moved to stand next to her and put a reassuring arm around her.  
  
"It will all work out in time," she said.  
  
Hermione just looked at the younger woman and nodded.  
  
Dropping her arm, Ginny began to speak again. "Hermione, I don't think that you should apparate home tonight – you're too worked up and I'm afraid that you'll get splinched."  
  
Hermione looked around the room and was about to tell Ginny that she just couldn't stay here when Ginny spoke up again.  
  
"I know you can't stay in this room, but you can sleep in Bill's old room. Come on, let's go up there and you can try to get some sleep."  
  
All of a sudden, Hermione realized how tired she was and let Ginny lead her up the stairs to Bill's room without a fuss. Once inside she only paused to take her shoes off before curling up in the bed and drawing the covers over herself. Ginny, still in the doorway, turned out the light before closing the door and heading back downstairs.  
  
She arrived in the living room just as her eldest brothers were gathering up their families and saying their goodbyes. It wasn't long before the only people left in the room were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Ron, and Ginny.  
  
Mrs. Weasley glanced at Ron before turning to Ginny and asking, "How's Hermione?"  
  
"She's sleeping right now – I took her up to Bill's room."  
  
Mrs. Weasley nodded and informed everyone that she was going up to bed. Mr. Weasley followed her after saying his goodnights, leaving only three people standing in the half-light.  
  
"Okay, now I want to know what happened." Ginny said in am authoritative voice that Harry knew at once not to argue with. Making her way over to the couch, she sat in the middle and motioned Harry and Ron to take seats on either side of her.  
  
Both men retold the story for Ginny while she listened patiently. After they had finished, Ginny turned to Ron and gave him a long hug before turning to Harry and hitting him on his left shoulder very hard.  
  
"Ow!" yelped Harry, who started to massage the area that was sure to have a bruise in the morning.  
  
"That," Ginny said, motioning to Harry's arm, "was for going off and nearly getting yourself killed!" Then she wrapped her arms around his neck saying, "And this is for bringing my brother back," before kissing him gently.  
  
After a moment Ginny broke off the kiss and Harry looked into her eyes while saying, "I think that I liked that second response more." He then grinned at her and placed a light kiss on her nose before looking up at his best friend again.  
  
Ron seemed to be having trouble deciding whether he felt more amused or disturbed by the whole scene, but apparently amusement won out. He smiled at them before announcing that he was going to go to bed.  
  
"We're staying the night, so we'll see you in the morning." Ginny told him before standing to give him a hug. Harry also stood to hug Ron before they all marched up the stairs, Ron heading for his childhood room, while the other two headed for Ginny's.  
  
  
  
TBC  
  
  
  
A/N: From here on out there's going to be more R/Hr action going on, and it might get kind of intense at some point in the future.  
  
Reviews are always welcome and if you want to give me flames, it won't bother me (I'll just use them to toast marshmallows ().  
  
  
  
Next Time:  
  
Ron is overprotective about Ginny  
  
Hermione ends up in Ron's bed  
  
The Ministry officials find Ron 


End file.
